(Fill in Blank) Vs. Hyrum

Tiff vs. Hyrum

On Tuesday, the second day of school, Hyrum did not want to go. He had been in a fine mood at breakfast and was working on his "About me" poster when I told him it was time to go catch the bus. He started to cry, saying his teacher would be sooo mad at him. "I know I'm going to go to the principal's office! I'm NOT going!" I tried to reason with him, I was sure his poster wasn't due yet, but he wouldn't listen. Ok, so if it IS due today, just tell her you didn't finish, I'm sure she'll give you another day. "NO! I'm NOT going to school!" "Yes you are, let's go". The next sequence of events:
I drag him to the bus stop
I try to coax him onto the bus
I carry him onto the bus
I stay with him on the bus
I ride the bus to school
I pull him off the bus
I pull him to his classes' line
I drag him into school
I drag him back out of school cause he threw his backpack off somewhere during the drag in
I drag him into school again
His teacher says it's not due until next week
Hyrum does not acknowledge that I was right nor does he remember what this fit he's throwing is even about, only that he should continue to say "I'm NOT going to School! I'm going HOME!" The other kids in his class are in the room and trying to help him too, but there is no reasoning with him. I give him hugs and try to help him relax and stay. After 10 minutes, I just leave him there with the teacher trying to get him to go in the classroom. I jog back home.

Winner: Tie, just cause he left me totally doubting if I was still a good mom for abandoning him in his moment of need - his teacher called after school to let me know how things went - she said it was a good 45 minutes before he calmed down and was cooperative, and then after that he was fine.

Corey vs. Hyrum
(this one is funny and shows both Corey and Hyrum in their full glory)

Last night around 7, Corey was done with work and decides to take some kids to a dollar movie. Everyone decided to go, I decide I can go run errands with Lily while they are at the movie. Hyrum is downstairs watching Madagascar in Spanish (I told them they can only watch a movie if it's in Spanish, and that's the only one we have, and they all protested - Hyrum didn't want to watch in the first place...) and he said "NO!" about going to the dollar theater cause he was watching Madagascar in Spanish. But since I wanted to run errands, no one would be at home with him, thus: everyone's gotta go. He refuses to get in the car. Corey takes him, put him in, buckles him in, holds the seatbelt so he can't unbuckle it, and says "You think you're stubborn? I'm WAY more stubborn that you! (looking around the car, he says) Children, if I die, I want you all to know that I just did it to save Hyrum's life..." Hyrum is laughing as we start to drive. They both seem to be playful, but Hyrum wants him to let go and starts spitting in Corey's face to get him to leave. Corey reply? He starts a big long hack and gets a good spit with the mucus from the back of this throat and spits back in Hyrum's face. The children, all grossed out and surprised by this, laugh. I groan and laugh. GROSS. Hyrum spits, Corey spits back, repeat - it went on for a good 3 minutes. I was laughing, Hyrum was laughing, all the kids were laughing, Corey wasn't laughing, but had a proud smile that he was in control of the situation and was going to win the battle with this 7 year old. We got to the theater, I passed some baby wipes back to the spit covered males, and Corey says he'll take Lily and run the errands for me. Hyrum now complains that he wanted to run the errands but wants to go with me, not Dad, and cries as they pull away. I buy 6 tickets for the movie. 20 seconds later Corey calls and says Hyrum has relented to see the show and tells me to buy 2 more tickets. So the errands didn't get run, Hyrum willingly walked into the theater, and 2 hours later he admits he liked it.

Winner: I think Corey won.

Later that night - after the movie, Corey and the kids came home wanting to play with Chloe - The black Dragon in the show reminded them of Chloe and they all missed her. They took her on a walk. It was already late and the bedtime routine still hadn't started. I felt my stress rise as the voice in my head said "They have school tomorrow! It's late! Where are they?!" They walked the dog, visited with neighbors who were out in their yards with their dogs, at 10:00 they are home and I start barking orders - Wes! Hyrum! Come floss and Brush! Joe - Mel! Floss and Brush! Ethan! Floss and brush! Ethan walked in for his self performed dental routine and left the bathroom a little too quickly - "Did you floss?" (I know I have to ask him about that specifically) "I couldn't find a floss pick!" Then I'll help you, you have to floss, let's go. He pushed me away and wasn't listening and I didn't have patience for it. I grabbed a floss pick off the counter, he cries "Who used that!?!?" I don't know, it doesn't matter, cause you have to floss. (as past children's dental bills of $500+ each return to haunt my mind again just like everynight) Open up!" He pushed me away, I grab him, he hits me and then I reacted not with a hit cause I was holding his head and the floss pick, but with a kick at his shins. I don't think that is what a good mother or the Savior would do and felt terrible. I don't recall my mother ever kicking me. Now I have guilt and no patience.

A little later, after apologizing to Ethan, I confessed my sin to Corey. He listened, then said "Well, I don't know if you're aware... but I spit in my son's face repeatedly tonight." That made me laugh. "Yes, but you were in control of yourself, and I wasn't!" Then after a deep breath and a sigh, it's okay, I'll try again tomorrow to not lose my cool.

I love my life with 7 kids. Lots of fun stories. I gotta keep them recorded to tell to them when they're older.